For an unknown price
#1
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1917
For you Errrinn

There was a festival in the southern lands, with trade available for anyone with equal things to make. It was an opportunity to trade. Both of her leaders chose not to let their pack participate in the pack activities offered by the traders. However, they encouraged members to trade for things, though they also encouraged hiding themselves from the other people there. To hide the scent of the pack was a somewhat easy thing for her. She carefully pressed her lavender oil against herself everywhere. It would cover up the pack scent she would excrete and that was all that was important. As an extra precaution, she filled a silver pomander ball with dried lavender and draped it about her neck. It was potent and the smell was almost overwhelming to the woman. Satisfied that one would be able to ignore her, and not discover what pack she came from, Isabella saddled her mare.


The mare was fidgeting under the saddle as Isabella secured it to her back. She reattached the packs to the saddle, and went into her storage area to decide what to take with her to trade. Indiscriminately, she gazed into her jewelry box. There was gold and silver, tarnished and polished. Rings, necklaces, bracelets, chains, and other baubles were tightly packed into the box. Isabella pulled out stoneless rings, a couple pairs of earrings, a wide beaten gold bracelet, and a pearl ring. Pearls were not her favorite thing; they were too pure, too innocent. That and they did not stand out very much against her pale fingers. She slipped the pearl ring on her finger and balked at the effect. It made it seem as though there was a hole in the metal where the pearl was since the color matched. Disgusted, she pulled it off and held it tight in her palm with the rest of the jewelry. She also grabbed a few silks she never wore, having brought them only because of their color. They were shimmery, and one of them was black with silver threads. It did not fit her at all and she hoped to trade for seeds and things. The jewels had to be worth enough to buy more than a few packets full.


Unfortunately, the things only filled a single saddlebag and it wasn't even stuffed full. The silks cradled the jewels. With a resigned sigh, the woman mounted the horse and led her out of the makeshift paddock. Ducky snorted as she was led past the rickety fence, knowing she was worth better but that her mistress was on a tight supply list. Patting the golden mare's neck, Isabella spurned her into motion. The pair of them raced away from the ruins they called a home, toward the borders of the thistle kingdom. Just getting outside of the place was a mild hassle, though the two enjoyed the ride. The exhilaration was invigorating. She could hardly breathe for the excitement, and the mare's breath was rough as they raced. Isabella reined the mare in from the rough gallop, breathing heavily from the ride. Ducky's sides swelled as she took in air in gulps, her exhales turning into snorts now and then. Both were in a good mood now, and both felt their energy rising even though the ride was tough on both the mare and the rider.


It took a while, though at least twice or thrice the time it would have taken the woman to walk or run there herself. Both were a bit tired of the ride, but still had enjoyed watching scenery blaze by or lightly blur away. The grounds were hard to miss, and Isabella found herself already wary of everyone. Dismounting at the fairgrounds, she rubbed the mare down with a small towel, squirreled away in the second saddlebag. The mare nibbled at her hair gently, lipping at it with what seemed to be a happy smile in her big eye. The two had gotten closer since they knew each other, with Ducky finally warming up to the woman. She was definitely glad the mare understood she would never be harmed and that Isabella loved the horse with all the love she had to offer.


She pulled the mare along with the reins, slowly meandering through the tents. There was a single tent, with the loudest calls. Isabella heard them talk inside and overheard the talk of plants. Interest peaked, the woman tied the horse to the tent and told her to wait. The mare flickered her ears and bobbed her head in understanding. Patting the mare's nose softly, Isabella stepped into the tent with her silks and jewelery. The woman at the stand eyed her as she spoke to another nameless wolf. They discussed a trade, but then the other wolf walked away annoyed. "He couldn't afford the stuff," she said with a thick accent. A couple of other wolves milled around the tent, though they handled the goods with practiced ease that said they were part of the host. "What are you looking for?" inquired the woman, her thick accent a little jarring and terribly unromantic.


Isabella raised a brow, smiling mildly and tapped a hand on the table between the two. "I overheard you two talking about plants." The other woman nodded, waiting for the gypsy woman to continue. "Have you got any seed packets to trade for? I can trade handsomely if you'll take them."


The woman laughed slightly, eying the stuff in Isabella's hands. "I am not one for pretty things. I prefer things for writing and information." The other woman leaned on the table, eying Isabella carefully. "What information do you have for me if you want seeds?" Isabella's lips hardened as the woman eyed her, voice louder than it ought to have been. "Information? What do you want to know then?" Sydney leaned back as Isabella drew her things closer to her body. She would find somewhere else to trade trinkets then if the woman was only taking information. "I take information you give me and then figure out what it is worth." Isabella's mouth grew firmer, knowing that such a thing was subjective. It was hard to measure worth against knowledge. It could hardly be a fair trade. "I need lavender seeds, chamomile seeds, and any other seeds you see fit to give me that can grow here."


"We'll see what information you give me that is legitimate." Sydney smiled crookedly, and Isabella felt herself disgusted. What a cheap trick this, using knowledge as payment and then claiming she'd decide what it was worth. "I want a guarantee I'll actually get something in return for what I give. Unfair otherwise." The woman nodded, and waved her hand in agreement. Calm again, Isabella gave the woman a recipe for a lavender and chamomile infusion. She described the steeping methods as well as what to do with the infusion. It could be used as tea, part of a future mixture, for cooking flavoring of baked good, as well as a lovely rinse for hair if there was a large amount of water. It was one part chamomile to a half part lavender, though it was obviously easy to change the proportions based on taste.


Sydney listened without emotion, then called to one of the women. They exchanged a talk in whatever gibberish they spoke and when the other woman shook her head at Sydney, the woman gave Isabella a grin. "It looks like your information is new." The woman waved a hand and showed five fingers. A smaller man brought a few small burlap sacks, each labeled in a gibberish writing. Sydney pulled out a packet from each of the sacks, and set them on the table before Isabella. Eyes hungry, the woman waited for an explanation. "You can pick five for the information you give. What amount of each you pick is up to you, but only five packets." It was plenty, though much less than she hoped to get for the jewels she hoped to exchange. "And they are?" The woman gave a knowing smile and began describing them, tapping the packets in order. "German lavender, hardy and perennial. Carolina Rose, will survive here and strong scented. Lily of the Valley, scented, pretty, but entirely toxic. Spearmint, easy enough. It spreads like wildfire though. Rosemary. Herb."


Isabella eyed the packets and pondered. She would gladly take one of the lavender and rose. Lily of the valley might be too delicate a smell, and she recalled seeing spearmint in the garden. Biting her tongue slightly, Isabella tapped the table. Lavender, she wanted, but Odessa had said she could find them easily. She would ask the woman to get seeds for her, but she wanted to make sure to have her own stock of them as well. The rose she had not been sure she'd seen, though she thought of the traditional rose and these could not be like those. Lily of the Valley.. it was poisonous if consumed. Surely one of the leaders would find themselves in need of a poisonous oil. It was scented well, though she had to figure out how to remove the poison. Or else it was just lethal in and of itself. It was worth experimentation. Spearmint had been present in the garden and Isabella refused to play babysitter to a plant that could grow like wildfire. It smelled amazingly well and she was sure she could replant a branch of the shrub if she wanted closer access. She doubted it. It was too fast growing. The rosemary was for cooking. They might appreciate that during the Suppers. Any home grown spices were good.


Sydney eyed the other people, especially someone entering the tent. "Two roses, then one each for the rest except the spearmint. I have that already." The woman nodded and dug out another pouch of rose. The packets were stacked upon each other and then tied with some sort of oiled twine. The woman handed the stack to Isabella, who took it. Shooting the woman an almost poisonously sweet smile, Isabella left without a second glance. Ducky was still outside, and eyed the gypsy happily.


She stored the packets in the saddlebag. The silks and jewels she kept at hand. There had to be something here she could get for these. Grumbling, she walked off, cursing penny pinching and expensive fools. Pausing by an open stall, she eyed beaded necklaces as well as earrings. Isabella did not wear jewels in her ears, namely because they were not pierced. Unfortunate, for the trader had a lovely collection of them. She picked up a golden bracelet, thin and delicate. There were ridges carved into the metal to give it some decoration. The man smiled at her and asked if she was there to trade. Hesitant, the woman tested the bracelet on her arm to the man's attempts at cajoling her to bye. His words were honey but they were plainly ignored by the seasoned seductress. "I have silks and jewelry to trade," she said simply, and the man asked to see the silks. He inspected them and selected two blue ones and waved her away with a smile. She had three left and the jewelry; those a jewelery vendor wouldn't take.


Who would take the jewels? She needed to be rid of them and she wanted to be traded for them.


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